Butlins goes child-free for 1960s music fans

EUROPE’S largest domestic holiday centre, the Butlins resort in Minehead, will become a child-free zone at the end of the month.
Only people aged 18 years and older will be allowed to stay during a weekend music festival which runs from January 30 to February 2.
And guests will have to be at least in their 40s to actually remember any of the acts playing at the Festival of the 60s.
The event is part of a series of Big Weekend Breaks being staged by Butlins this year with tickets starting at £63 for the weekend.
Among the big names from the 1960s who will be appearing live at the retro-weekend are Gerry and the Pacemakers (pictured), Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, Herman’s Hermits, Swinging Blue Jeans, Dave Berry and the Cruisers, The Fortunes, Marmalade, and Brian Poole and the Dreamers.
Tickets can be bought by calling 0845 070 4730 or logging on to http://www.butlinsbigweekends.com/.

Impressive line-up for electronica festival's Minehead debut

FANS of electronica will be flocking to Minehead in March for a weekend festival which brings together more than 100 emerging artists and old favourites.
The BLOC Weekend is being held in the Butlins holiday centre for the first time and is expected to attract several thousand visitors.
It takes place from March 13 to 15 and features names such as Rob Da Bank, Future Sounds Of London, Skream And Benga, Kode 9, and Beardyman.
It will Future Sound Of London’s first appearance in 10 years.
Also confirmed is Green Velvet, the house DJ famed for his hit 'La La Land' as well as for some more quirky and experimental tracks, and Russell Howard, who will play the Cocodisco arena.
BLOC has five arenas in total, ensuring there will always be something to which festivalgoers will want to listen or dance.
There are also two large stages, a pub warm-up stage, an Un:BLOC stage for non-electronic music, and an interactive arts arena.
Weekend ticket prices start at £125 plus a £5 booking fee, and festivalgoers must book rooms as self-catering or room-only apartments in groups of two, three, four, five, or six – seven-berth apartments have already sold out.
Tickets are available by visiting http://www.shop.blocweekend.com/.

• Our photograph shows house DJ Green Velvet. Photo submitted.

Eclectic mix of musicians for double festival weekend in Minehead

TENS of thousand of music fans are set to descend on Minehead for music festivals taking place on two weekends in May.
Both events are being organised at the town’s Butlins holiday centre by All Tomorrow’s Parties (ATP), an organisation promoting festivals and concerts worldwide.
The first festival is being held on the weekend of May 8 to 10 and has been titled The Fans Strike Back (TFSB).
Half of the bands and performers taking part will have been chosen by the fans themselves, with everybody who buys a ticket being entitled to vote, while ATP selects the other half of the line-up.
For TFSB, ATP has already booked Health, Shearwater, The Acorn, and The Pink Mountaintops, while among those the the fans have voted so far for are The Jesus Lizard, Devo, Sleep performing Holy Mountain, selections from Dopesmoker and more, Spiritualized, / Young Marble Giants performing Colossal Youth, Antipop Consortium, Grails, Sleepy Sun, and The Cave Singers.
The second event, Breeders, runs over May 15 to 17, and is curated for ATP by the legendary Breeders
So far the fans have picked Beirut, and offers to play have been sent to My Bloody Valentine, Flight Of The Conchords, and Electric Wizard.
CSS (pictured) and Supersuckers are among the latest additions to the Breeders, and will line up with the likes of Throwing Muses, Bon Iver, Foals, Teenage Fanclub, Kimya Dawson, Pit Er Pat, and The Soft Pack.
Both festivals are for over-18s only and ticket prices start at £300 and are on sale from http://www.atpfestival.com/.
Performances start mid-afternoon with more than 40 acts set to play live across each weekend.
There are also four pubs and DJ sets playing through until late.

Plans being laid for next 10Parishes Festival

ARTISTS, venue and parish organisers, and volunteers are being invited to an open meeting in December to discuss next year’s 10Parishes Festival.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 9, at 7.30 pm in the Silver Street Centre, Wiveliscombe.
The 2009 festival will run over nine days from Saturday, September 12 to Sunday, September 20.
The annual festival has become a major biennial arts and community event in Wiveliscombe and the nine surrounding parishes, involving more than 100 artists and more than 150 events.
This year’s festival finished with a town centre celebration in The Square, Wiveliscombe, when thousands of people thronged the area to enjoy local food, drink, and entertainments.
More information about the festival can be found by logging on to http://www.10parishesfestival.org.uk/ or calling 01984 624564.

'Pavement Pirates' to show off their drawing skills

YOUNG artists in West Somerset are being urged to celebrate the art of the picture book later this month by showing their talents as pavement pirates.
It is part of the October Big Draw Festival, an initiative which began in 2000 and aims to encourage the whole country to start drawing.
More than 1,000 events are being planned around the country with the aim of proving that drawing is not only fun but also a great form of self-expression and a fantastic communication tool.
In Minehead, Christopher Jelley, of Toy A’hoy, is offering, would-be young illustrators a pavement canvas to show their artistic talents.
Mr Jelley said: “We will provide coloured chalks - all you need is your imagination to create a dastardly pirate scene.
“Drawing is an activity that can be done alone, or as a group and in many different mediums with a myriad of results.
“All the pictures will be photographed and featured on the Captain’s Blog page of the Toy A’hoy website.
“Two winners will be chosen, one from each age category, and awarded with a bag of swashbuckling goodies.”
The event is happening on Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, from 12 noon to 4 pm, on the poop deck outside Toy A’hoy, in The Avenue.
The ‘crew’ will be suitably attired and participants are welcome to wear fancy dress if they want to enter into the spirit of the day.

10Parishes Festival finishes with a flourish

A NINE-day celebration of the arts ended in truly festive spirit as thousands of people flocked to Wiveliscombe town centre for a street market and weekend of local food, drink, and entertainments.
The annual 10 Parishes Festival, which ran in Wiveliscombe and the nine surrounding parishes from September 8 to 16, has become a major biennial arts and community event, involving more than 100 artists and more than 150 events.
The weekend’s activities included everything from open art galleries to sculpture gardens, and drama to singing.
On Saturday, West Street, Wiveliscombe, was closed to traffic as an estimated 2,000 people watched the town’s carnival and visited stalls selling a variety of local food, drink, and crafts - plus music and entertainment.
Festival director Pauline Homeshaw said: “It is our third festival and has been better than ever.
“It has grown into a wonderful celebration of art and community. It has been fantastic.
“Now we are looking forward to the next festival.”
The Festival Market - a first for the event - saw local shopkeepers and food and drink producers set up stalls under green and white striped canopies, with everything from chocolate to smoked trout, and local beer and craft cards to jewellery.
People of all ages thronged the street and the nearby The Square to enjoy drinks and food from the stalls and outdoor cafes.
They also sat in Jubilee Gardens and listened to bands, watched Kingsmead Community School drama group, or tried their luck at belly dancing.
A Wheelbarrow Carnival in aid of 10Radio saw 20 barrows parading through the street and to the Recreation Ground, with adults and children dressed in all kinds of inventive garb, preceded by the youngsters of Wellington Majorettes.
Jed and Sam Dove, of Wiveliscombe, won the best float for their ‘Dr Who’ theme.
Stalls did a roaring trade, with many rushing to bring in more stock or selling out, while artists in all nine parishes reported excellent results from their nine days of exhibitions.
One stallholder, Richard Robbins of Nutcombe Chocolates, Minehead, said: “It has been a very relaxed atmosphere, plenty of people, a very nice variety of stalls with local shops involved too - I have really enjoyed the day.”
Tim and Carrie Parker, of Wiveliscombe, said: “There was a great crowd, tremendous stalls, and it was good to see so many people enjoying themselves and meeting up with friends. We were very impressed.”
Throughout the weekend other events and exhibitions carried on around the parishes of Ashbrittle, Bathealton, Brompton Ralph, Chipstable and Waterrow, Clatworthy, Fitzhead, Huish Champflower, Milverton, and Stawley.
For one of the youngest exhibitors, Sam Jeffs, aged 18, who had just completed a National Diploma in Fine Art, at Somerset College, it was an opportunity to have his work seen and his Minotaur made from scrap metal was a landmark piece at the Spring Grove Market Gardens, in Milverton.
Bathealton saw a constant stream of visitors to see the Ark Has Landed - 25 pairs of animals created by villagers, as well as the colourful silk banners around the church and paintings by well known professional artists, including Tilly Willis and Antonia Myatt.
With drama, writing, and workshop events throughout the weekend, the festival celebration ended on a high on Sunday night with The Demon Barbers, a nationally known vocal harmony cabaret show, an event which was sponsored by Wiveliscombe and District Rotary Club.
More information about the festival can be found by logging on to http://www.10parishesfestival.org.uk/ or calling 01984 624564.

NASA moon landing exclusive for arts festival weekend

PORLOCK is preparing for literature lovers from across the country who will be descending on the village next month for its annual arts festival.
The festival has again attracted leading lights of the literature and media worlds, including Sunday Times columnist Roland White and BBC crime correspondent and murder mystery writer Simon Hall, who will conduct a fun and thought-provoking discussion with insights on the media from people in the know.
The event will also host an exclusive premiere, the first public UK showing of some of NASA’s previously withheld footage of the original moon landing.
It also features this year’s Orange Prize winner, Rose Tremain (pictured), author Dame Margaret Drabble, who is a sponsor and festival patron, and Fleet Street columnist and biographer Valerie Grove.
The festival has an action-packed agenda to keep people of all ages entertained during the weekend, which runs from September 11 to 14.
It includes storytelling, a Pelham puppet exhibition, a pottery talk and demonstration and a poetry picnic in Porlock’s Jubilee Garden with music and open microphone.
The historic village will also be buzzing as artists and craftspeople throw open the doors of their studios and showrooms.
Artisans will display their techniques, work, and collections, including silver jewellery, basket making, pottery, blacksmith’s art, wood sculptures, paintings, textiles, and felting.
Festival organiser Tony Pinnington said: “We are delighted with the response so far.
“Ticket sales have been strong, so we are advising people to book now to make sure they do not miss any of the festival highlights.”
The programme and information on how to book tickets or where to stay is available by logging on to http://www.porlockfestival.org/, emailing porlockci@somerset.gov.uk or calling 01643 863150.